The first piece of good news is that beneficiaries will see a 2.5% bump in benefits beginning in January, thanks to the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). The average retiree collects just over $1,900 per month in benefits, which amounts to a raise of roughly $50 per month.

Social Security beneficiaries will soon experience a welcome change when benefits climb due to a cost-of-living adjustment.

When the Social Security Administration announced in October that benefits would be rising by just 2.5% in the new year, many seniors were disappointed but not particularly shocked. For months, experts had been projecting that 2025's Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) would land somewhere in that ballpark.

Social Security's upcoming cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) is the smallest (by far) to arrive in years. And it's natural to be disappointed by a meager increase in your monthly checks. But when we look back at the data,

Social Security is very popular with Americans. Large majorities of Democrats and Republican like the program and want it to continue with no cuts in benefits, no increase in costs to taxpayers, and no real reforms of any kind.

Social Security's rules are shifting in 2025 -- for better and worse. Seniors might benefit from a boost to their monthly benefits and a higher earnings-test limit. Some workers may be unhappy to learn that their Social Security tax burden is about to soar.